Posted on July 29,2022 in Car Accident

Some people prefer not to deal with the police at all, even if they are positive they have not broken the law. This is understandable. However, if you have been involved in a traffic accident, notifying law enforcement is a necessity. In Colorado, drivers who have been involved in a collision are required to report it promptly. Even if the accident was minor - or it seems minor until your neck starts hurting the next day - filing a police report can protect you. Trying to file a claim for compensation is going to be a lot more difficult if you did not call the police right away. While you may not want to, it is crucial that you make the call. Your next phone call should be to a lawyer. 

Colorado Law Requires You to Call the Police After an Accident

According to state law, drivers who have been involved in a motor vehicle collision that causes injury or property damage must immediately report it to law enforcement. The only way you can legally avoid calling the police after an accident is if the collision was so minor that there is no damage at all to either vehicle. 

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 Posted on July 22,2022 in Car Accident

A hit-and-run accident can be very frustrating, but there is greater hope of being able to identify the responsible driver based on damage to their vehicle. When another driver forces you to crash your car without actually hitting you, it can be trickier trying to identify them. It can also be even more frustrating knowing that the driver who caused your accident got away with not so much as a ding on their car, while you are left injured on the side of the road. There are still strategies an attorney can use to help you recover compensation for a miss-and-run collision. Identifying the liable driver may not be as impossible as it seems. Even if it does prove impossible, you may still be able to recover compensation using your own uninsured motorist insurance. Our firm can help you explore your options and discover the best way to get the compensation you need. 

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 Posted on July 14,2022 in Car Accident

During the summer, people tend to gather for outdoor events. People have barbecues, picnics, get-togethers at the lake, and bonfires. Summer holidays like the 4th of July tend to be some of the most popular drinking days of the year. While summer can be a lot of fun, it can also be dangerous when it comes to being on the roads. Fatalities and injuries associated with drunk drivers increase during the summer. Because drunk drivers can be so erratic in their movements, there is little that sober drivers can do to protect themselves against those who are intoxicated. If you have been injured by a drunk driver or have lost a close family member to a drunk driver, you may be entitled to recover compensation. 

Why There Are More Drunk Drivers in the Warmer Seasons

There are a number of reasons that drunk driving tends to spike in the summer. These reasons include: 

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 Posted on July 08,2022 in Workplace Injury

Since 2018, Colorado has specifically extended Worker’s Compensation protection to undocumented workers. While it may be illegal for a U.S, company to employ undocumented immigrants, if they do, and one gets hurt, the injured worker is just as entitled to receive Workers’ Compensation as a U.S. citizen. If being undocumented is holding you back from pursuing compensation after a workplace injury, it should not. While seeking Workers’ Compensation may be intimidating for undocumented individuals, you should know that you have rights. Our law firm has handled workplace injury claims for undocumented workers before, with great success. If you were injured at work, we may be able to help you receive the compensation you deserve. 

How Can I be Sure That I am Eligible to Receive Workers’ Compensation?

Look no further than Colorado Revised Statue section 8-40-202. The law in this state explicitly states that for the purposes of Workers’ Compensation eligibility, the term “employee” includes foreign nationals. There is no distinction between those who are lawfully present in the country and permitted to work and those who entered the country unlawfully and are not legally eligible for employment. Therefore, all that matter is that you are, in fact, an employee working for and being paid by an employer. 

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 Posted on June 28,2022 in Car Accident

What you do not do after a car accident is just as important as what you do. Taking the right steps is important, but so is avoiding the wrong steps. Doing the wrong thing after a negligent driver crashes into you could end up costing you. There are a few common mistakes that car accident attorneys see over and over again, all of which could potentially reduce the amount you can recover or even prevent you from winning your claim. Calling a lawyer immediately is never the wrong answer when you have been hurt in a crash. You may not be thinking clearly after being injured in such a sudden and potentially traumatic way. Insurance companies may take advantage of this by contacting you quickly, possibly while you are still recovering in the hospital. It is better to have legal counsel take over sooner rather than later. 

5 Actions You Should Never Take in the Aftermath of a Car Wreck

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 Posted on June 22,2022 in Car Accident

After a car accident, you may not feel up to tackling the legal side of the aftermath right away. You probably want to rest and recover. You may even still be in the hospital if your injuries were very serious. However, there are certain types of evidence that need to be collected promptly. That is where a good lawyer comes in. An attorney can take over the process of investigating and collecting evidence very quickly. It is important that you do not wait too long to get in touch with a lawyer. Some physical evidence at the crash scene may be cleaned up or washed away by the weather very quickly. Other evidence, like witness reports, tend to rapidly diminish in quality and reliability. Ideally, you should make the call to a law firm like Hoggatt Law Office, P.C. on the day of the accident if you are able to. 

What Time-Sensitive Evidence Needs to Be Preserved Quickly?

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 Posted on June 15,2022 in Workplace Injury

No matter what line of work you are in, there is always the potential for a workplace injury. Whether you do your job sitting at a desk or on a construction site, no worksite is completely safe. While in Colorado, you do not need to prove that your employer was negligent in causing your injuries, a large percentage of workplace injuries could have been prevented by a more safety-minded employer. It is not always the conditions of the work site alone that lead to injuries. The true causes of workplace injuries are often much more difficult to spot than a stray live wire. If you were injured in the workplace, Workers’ Compensation is most likely available to you. An attorney can help you determine how best to pursue compensation. 

Common Safety Concerns in the Workplace

Some of the greatest dangers in the workplace are the hardest to notice. A few safety concerns you may be faced with in your workplace include: 

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 Posted on June 08,2022 in Car Accident

Rollover accidents can be some of the most deadly, and the most terrifying to live through. A rollover accident is not an overly common event. It takes significant force or a steep enough hill to send a car rolling. These accidents tend to involve major carelessness or even recklessness on the part of the at-fault driver. Rollover accidents can be devastating for everyone involved, including the loved ones of those inside the car. If you were injured in a rollover accident caused by an unsafe driver, you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries. As rollovers often involve severe injuries that will require ongoing care, it is important that you let a lawyer help you calculate the amount you deserve before you consider an insurance company’s offer. 

What Careless or Reckless Behaviors Cause Rollover Accidents?

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 Posted on May 27,2022 in Car Accident

You probably more or less know what to do after a routine car accident with another driver in a personal vehicle. However, if the driver who caused your accident was a city or state employee in a government vehicle, that can really throw a wrench in things. Government vehicles are of course insured like any other vehicle on the road should be. However, the process of dealing with the aftermath may look a bit different. Everything from reporting the crash to filing a claim and recovering compensation may involve just a slightly different procedure. The safest thing to do is to work with an attorney who is experienced in handling personal injury claims against the government before. Hoggatt Law Office, P.C. has this type of experience, and we are not intimidated by the idea of going up against the state.

Examples of Government Vehicles in Colorado

The term “government vehicle” is fairly broad. A government vehicle could be a:

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 Posted on May 22,2022 in Car Accident

Neutral third-party witnesses can make or break a motor vehicle accident case. People who just happened to be nearby when you were hit by a negligent driver and do not know either party can provide some of the strongest and most believable evidence in your case. Should it come to a trial, juries tend to put a lot of trust in bystander witnesses as they have absolutely nothing to lose or gain and no reason to lie. They can also provide a different, outside perspective on what happened from their own point of view. If you are able to, it is a good idea to flag down potential witnesses after the accident. Both the police and your attorney will be highly interested in what they have to say.

Why Are Eyewitnesses Important After a Negligent Driver Causes an Accident?

There are two sides to every story. Your version of events and the careless driver’s version of events are likely to be quite different. The driver who hit you is likely to make excuses or even outright lie in an effort to escape liability. Witnesses can be very helpful in a number of ways, including:

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